Sunday 24 February 2013 11.14 EST
First published on Sunday 24 February 2013 11.14 EST

Le Tricolore-waving Newcastle United fans wore berets on their heads and strings of onions around their necks as the club's "France day" provided an atmospheric backdrop to a win Alan Pardew greeted with particular relish.

Sacked, amid some controversy, by Southampton in 2010, Newcastle's manager punched the air with unusual vigour as his side's goals flew in and revenge was ensured. Along with victory came the reassurance of climbing comfortably clear of the relegation zone and forgetting the worries that had seemed all-consuming until five French imports from Ligue One arrived during last month's transfer window.

If a Gallic theme that extended to Tannoy announcements being made in French will have pleased the 14 Francophone players in the squad, locals revelled in the parochial pleasure involved in Newcastle's leapfrog over Sunderland in the table.

The board said it gave no thought to sacking Pardew during the slump but, nonetheless, he has regained the relaxed demeanour of a manager secure in his job. "I went to a little French restaurant yesterday evening to get in the mood," Pardew said. "I suffered indigestion all night but never mind, a bit of fun with the theme day took the tension out of things. It was an important win. Southampton were excellent and we had to be at our verybest to win."

With an ankle injury expected to sideline Tim Krul for around six weeks, Rob Elliot made his Premier League debut in Newcastle's goal. His first touch saw him picking the ball out of the net following Jack Cork's lofted cross, Rickie Lambert's header down and Morgan Schneiderlin's swivel and half-volley into the bottom corner.

Moussa Sissoko's vision, acceleration and wonderful ability to link play, created chances for his side to level but Papiss Cissé and Yoan Gouffran scuffed presentable openings.

Twice Newcastle believed Jos Hooiveld had handled in the area but Chris Foy ignored their appeals. An equaliser arrived when Yohan Cabaye intercepted Cork's slapdash pass and provided Gouffran with a perfectly weighted delivery to speed on to.

Having outpaced Southampton's defence, Gouffran unleashed an angled shot which Artur Boruc could only block with his legs into the path of the on-rushing Sissoko, who tapped it into the net.

Although Newcastle could have done with sometimes closing down Cork – who made things happen for Southampton – a little better, the pace and power of Gouffran and Sissoko fazed the Saints full-backs. Meanwhile their central defenders looked similarly uneasy when high balls were pumped into the box.

With Southampton's much-vaunted pressing game falling apart, it seemed only a matter of time before Newcastle, for whom Mathieu Debuchy excelled as an attacking right-back, scored again but Cissé probably would not have dared to dream about celebrating a goal as good as the one he struck.

Meeting a bouncing ball on the half-volley 30 yards out, the striker sent a high- velocity shot soaring over Boruc before dipping just beneath the crossbar. "An Alan Shearer-type moment from Papiss," said Pardew, who revealed that Sammy Ameobi may join Middlesbrough on loan.

Elliot had been a little underemployed but did brilliantly to tip Lambert's curling free-kick to safety at the start of the second half. Undeterred, Lambert swiftly scored his 100th goal for Southampton, manoeuvring himself cleverly into space before stroking a shot beyond Elliot. Having signed Lambert for Saints for £1m from Bristol Rovers in 2009, Pardew may have reflected it was a fine way for his former protege to thank him.

Just as Geordies feared that Newcastle's long flight back from their Europa League win at Ukraine's Metalist Kharkiv in the early hours of Friday was exerting a toll, the hosts revived, stymying Southampton's mini-renaissance.

Suddenly the diagonal balls that had been such a feature of the home side's early dominance began finding their targets once more. When the substitute Danny Fox handled in the area, Foy awarded Newcastle a penalty. Cabaye beat Boruc from the spot and Pardew smiled again.

His grin was even broader when the unfortunate Fox intercepted Davide Santon's cross only to blast it against the face of Hooiveld who, unsurprisingly, deflected it into his own net. "Small details cost us," Pochettino said. "But we will stay in the Premier League."